Four Point Star!
by dandelion-heart
Summary: "You must work together as a team." Master Fung took a deep breath and glanced at Dojo squatting beside him. "Eightieth time you've said that this month, you know." "Well maybe this time," Master Fung sighed, "it will stick."
1. if you say so

**|16| **_if you say so_

* * *

**. . .** Keiko wasn't sure what to make of them. From further away, they were a shapeless, shadowy mass colored in by her imagination after listening to the anecdotes Kimiko shared every night. Now, just a few feet away from the group and face-to-face with the reality of how strikingly normal all of this was, she was a little taken aback. The tall one had swept off his hat and she could have sworn there were eyes under those messy yellow bangs when the shortest of the three suddenly yelped in surprise as the third, tan and dark-haired, leaned on his head, striking a not-so-subtle pose.

She wondered what she should say and, for a moment, if all her expectations going into this trip had been rendered moot. Then she took a breath, remembered why she was here, and figured it was best to let Kimiko, already babbling through an introduction, guide her through this.

"And here's Raimundo, Omi, and Clay, Dragon of Wind, Water, Earth, blah blah blah. Master Fung's not here so I'll spare you formalities!" Kimiko beamed and Keiko smiled hesitantly back, eyes straying to the stout, bald boy peering curiously up at her.

"Kimiko, your friend is quite tall! I expected her to be like you!"

"Omi, don't you remember? She's a model," the boy leaning over him chuckled and waggled his eyebrows suggestively.

"I saw you in an ad during the Kyoto skating finals," the boy with the hat nodded. "Trust Kimiko to be best friends with the rooster of the barn."

"Yeah yeah, you guys can go off and do whatever you want now," Kimiko flapped her hand dismissively. "I'll see you at dinner ok?"

Keiko watched Omi scurry off, glancing back every so often to make sure Raimundo, strolling lazily along, was following him. Clay gave a wave and then rounded the corner and disappeared from sight.

"Well those were my boys! A pretty silly bunch, huh?" Keiko quickly glanced at Kimiko, and was relieved to see that she seemed relaxed and not the least bit uncomfortable.

"They seem…"

"Underwhelming?" Keiko grinned in spite of herself. "Yeah I know, I didn't think much of any of them when I first got here."

"But you're all super close now."

"We have to be. Dojo says it's a miracle we all came together in the end but –" Kimiko crossed her arms, "they can be really sweet. Sometimes anyways."

Keiko swallowed back a sigh. Kimiko was by no means awkward like she had feared despite the months of seclusion and bad monk fashion, but already it seemed like she was a little lonely. Like the ragtag welcoming committee she had gathered was the highlight of guiding her best childhood friend around the temple grounds.

"Well you didn't have to send them away so quickly."

Kimiko's hands dropped to her sides. "I thought you'd want to hang out with me alone."

"We're going to be up all night anyways. And there's only so long that I can stare at your face and not want to give you a mud mask." Kimiko gasped theatrically. Keiko tossed her braid back over her shoulder and grinned. "Besides, I can't join in on the gossip until I see what these boys are like for myself!"

From the way her eyes lit up to the eagerness in her nod, Keiko knew Kimiko was once again in that familiar, let's go shop until we literally drop mode she had missed every Saturday back in Tokyo. Keiko knew that she was by no means less of a friend because this motley crew had become Kimiko's second family, but it wouldn't hurt to try and bridge the gaps between both worlds, right?

"Didn't I tell you? Raimundo fell for you like _that_."

"No way, we both know he's in love with _you_."

Kimiko laughed and wrapped her arm around Keiko's shoulder.

"I'm so glad you came to visit!" **. . .**

* * *

_AUTHOR'S NOTE_ - It's become a fanfic tradition for my sister and I to pair up and write for the archive of a favorite series, and now it's Xiaolin Showdown's turn! I hope all you XS fans, old and new, enjoy this collection of drabbles centered around our favorite Chinese monk kids. Be sure to read Nayuki-Bunny's "and we'll weather the storms together!" Please review if you like what you read.


	2. firsts

**|4|**_ firsts_

* * *

**. . .** The first day the boys sat up, rubbed their eyes, and noticed Kimiko was a _girl _(the kind that was more than not-a-boy, more than lipstick and mascara and little plastic wrapped rolls Omi mistook for candy once, more than long, seemingly endless conversations on the phone at night) was the day a strange boy came over to the temple with a bouquet of lilies behind his back.

In hindsight, maybe their reaction was a little over the top. Then again, in hindsight, it really was Kimiko's fault for not warning them beforehand.

"I cannot believe Kimiko kept this a secret from us! As a Xiaolin dragon I expect her to know the world is not safe! We are her protectors and yet she neglected her responsibility to confide in us! She has failed as a teammate! With her weak girl arms and legs, she is easy prey for those on the side of evil!"

"I know you've been going on about settling the score with this guy when they get back, but if Kimiko was here right now –" Dojo muttered, watching through half-lidded eyes Omi pace frantically back and forth.

"Now hold up just a minute," Clay gripped the back of Omi's robes and hefted him easily over to his sitting spot. "If you're gonna blow another fuse, save it for that yellow-bellied scoundrel. Then again," Clay released his hold with a rather uncharacteristic grin and pounded a fist into the palm of his other hand. "You go ahead. Then I can get all the fun of introducing myself to that slime-faced weasel."

"Do you guys want to speak to Kimiko ever again or not?" Dojo sighed in exasperation. "Wait a minute, where'd Raimundo go?"

Omi and Clay fell quiet but none of them could hear anything other than the spring breeze and cricket chirps from the garden.

"Quick!" Omi suddenly cried. "Raimundo has already gotten a head start!"

Dojo groaned as Clay opened the door with a terrific bang and Omi, carrying on a high-pitched war cry, followed him out.

"Well! This is what happens when no one ever listens to me! Maybe if they hadn't been so busy laughing at the possibility of Kimiko meeting that kid a few days back, they wouldn't be –"

He paused. Everything outside, even the wind, was strangely quiet. He heard the gate swing open and snatches of Kimiko saying farewell. Then, in quick succession, there came the sounds of rocks crashing, wind howling, water crashing against the temple walls, a random cat screeching, and a deafening explosion. Dojo howled and huddled into a quivering heap. In a few moments, the echoes had subsided and he peeked through one eye towards the open door, heavy smoke obscuring his view.

"Hello?" he started, trembling, and then screamed when three bodies flew into the room, apparently stunned. Through the smoke, Kimiko strode in, eyes burning and a wilted lily dropping from her ear.

"Oh, um, hello! Kimiko? You look uh, nice. How'd it go?" Dojo laughed weakly. Kimiko didn't look at him as she passed by.

"Isn't it obvious there isn't going to be a second date?" she spat before slamming the door of the sleeping quarters shut.

That won't be the end of it, Dojo snarled to the three boys slowly regaining consciousness and, as he liked to boast every day after, he was right. Kimiko stomped on Clay's foot when he tried explaining the proper etiquette behind bringing home a boy for the first time, and when Omi tried to pipe up in his defense, he found the head of his Omi-bot on his pillow that night. Raimundo seemed to be the wisest of the three by avoiding Kimiko at all times, but unfortunately, despite Dojo's protests, Master Fung thought that was avoiding the issue. The meeting he arranged where he planned to act as mediator backfired ("literally," Dojo joked and Master Fung fixed him with a terrifying glower) when Raimundo made the mistake of claiming he should be angrier than Kimiko "considering –!" but he never finished and Dojo couldn't help but sulk that Kimiko could breathe fire much better than he, a pureblood dragon, could.

"But you're a _girl_ –"

"Is this the first time you've noticed this?!" The boys tried to nod but couldn't look up and stared forlornly at their slippers as she stormed out.

"There is only one way to remedy this situation," Omi stated gravely the next morning, the porridge bowl Kimiko had unceremoniously tipped over his head a minute earlier sliding off. "We must apologize to Kimiko's boyfriend."

"He's not –"

"I suppose you're right, little partner."

"Hold on –"

"I will ask Dojo to arrange us a meeting place and time."

"How can you guys –"

"Sounds good to me. What'd you say Rai?"

"No! I say no –" he crossed his arms, "because - well because…well…I guess…ah whatever! Fine! But she's not his girlfriend alright?"

"Most definitely not!" Omi chirped and Dojo, reading the morning paper at the end of the table, snorted and turned the page. **. . .**


End file.
